Podemos members vote on Spanish coalition deal

Members of Spain’s far-left Podemos party began voting Thursday on whether to back a coalition government between the Socialists and Ciudadanos parties.

Spain’s political parties have been trying to agree a new governing coalition since December’s general election in which now acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s People’s Party won the most votes, but lost its absolute majority in parliament. If no deal is reached by May 2, parliament will be dissolved and new elections held on June 26.

Podemos (“We Can”) leader Pablo Iglesias announced the party vote of 394,000 members last Friday after the Socialists (PSOE) and centrist Ciudadanos (“Citizens”) refused his proposal to create a leftist government with the support of the Socialists and some smaller, nationalist parties.